The world’s first commercial textile-to-textile pulp mill has opened in Sweden.

Renewcell’s facility that will repurpose over 1,20,000 metric tons of textile waste next year, otherwise destined for landfills, and turn it into new viscose for fashion.

Over 200 million trees, many from the world’s most vital forests, are currently cut down every year to make fabrics like viscose and rayon. Renewcell’s new mill uses textile waste rather than trees to make these fabrics, sourcing from worn-out jeans and production scraps. Renewcell is the first mill in the world that is dedicated to circular manufacturing for the viscose fashion sector. The commissioning of this facility marks the dawn of a new circular era for global fashion. Such a low-impact mill is aimed at replacing unsustainable forest-based viscose production. Clear market signals of support and offtake agreements from brands and conventional viscose producers helped Renewcell unlock their financing for this first commercial-scale facility.

Renewcell’s vision is to make fashion circular.Through its patented process, Renewcell is able to upcycle cellulosic textile waste, such as cotton clothes, transforming it into a pristine new material called Circulose. As the global effort to combat climate change and environmental degradation accelerates there is a growing need to make fashion circular and preserve critical forest ecosystems.